#9 Matt Hoch, HB/TE, 6-5, 230

Rating: 75

The recruitment of Matt Hoch as a H-Back/Tight End could signal an offensive scheme change by Gary Pinkel and his staff. Could he be used as a fullback type player, or will he mainly be a blocking tight end? Either way, it shows that the coaching staff is interested in protecting Blaine

2010 Mizzou Football Recruiting

Gabbert and the running game more than they have been in the past.

Matt, the brother of current Mizzou offensive tackle Dan Hoch, played defensive end in high school, but his athleticism convinced the coaching staff at Mizzou that he can play offense at the next level. After being committed to Iowa for 4 months, Hoch made a surprise official visit to Columbia in December and left town switching his pledge from the Hawkeyes to the Tigers.

If his brother’s talent is any indication, Matt Hoch will be a physical beast for the Tigers. His ball skills obviously can’t be seen by defensive highlights, but he was a fairly highly recruited player mainly for his athleticism. This will probably transfer well to the offensive side of the ball, but I guess Mizzou fans will have to wait until summer practices to find out how he is utilized.

Hoch recieved offers from schools like Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State and Stanford and was recruited by Kansas, Oregon and Nebraska.

#2 James Franklin, QB, 6-3, 215

Rating: 91

This Lake Dallas (TX) product was an early commit for the Tigers, and it may be one of the most important looking back on this class 5-10 years from now. Blaine Gabbert may bolt to the NFL after next season if he preforms well and his draft prospects are as good as some think they will

be. That makes the commitment from the electric James Franklin much more important.

Franklin had a great senior season, throwing for over 2,000 yards while rushing for over 1,000 and leading his team to a 9-1 regular season. In his two years as a starter for the Lake Dallas Falcons, Franklin had 76 total TD’s, including 35 this season (20 passing and 15 rushing).

Franklin led his team to a first round playoff win by accounting for all 5 of the Falcons touchdowns, but his team was bumped in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Offensive coordinator Dave Yost said his skill-set is a hybrid of Brad Smith’s running ability and Blaine Gabbert’s passing ability (could throw 75 yards as a high school sophomore).

Franklin isn’t short by any means (6-3), so he will be a physical presence at quarterback, even in the Big XII. The tape shows he has a strong arm and a long stride running the ball and I think he shows the leadership to be able to be a good, if not great Big XII QB. He is probably the most athletic player that Mizzou has recruited since at least Jeremy Maclin.

Franklin chose Mizzou over the likes of Baylor, SMU, Nebraska, Oregon and Oklahoma State. The talented QB will enroll at Mizzou in January and will participate in spring drills.

#75 Anthony Gatti, OT, 6-6, 280

Rating: 73

Gatti, ranked as the 11th best player in the state of Missouri by rivals.com, has great height for a tackle, but his lack of bulk and athleticism might force him into guard for the Tigers. Nevertheless, Gatti is a solid in-state recruit that the Missouri was wise to lock up.

According to his high school coach, Gatti has long arms and is better as a run blocker than pass blocker right now, but he has the quickness to develop into a better pass blocker with the right kind of coaching.

The bad thing for Gatti is that he is coming into a position with a lot of talent at Mizzou. Players like Elvis Fisher, Dan Hoch, Jack Meiners and even fellow recruit Nick Demien are more talented than Gatti, so he must work hard to earn his stripes (no pun intended).

After injuring his knee late in his senior season, Gatti was going to enroll at Mizzou a semester early to get better treatment on his knee, but a transcript mixup prevented his enrollment. Still, the 6-6 prospect will probably be redshirted this season to get some seasoning.

Gatti committed fairly early in the process, making his pledge in July 2009. Although he received offers from schools like Kansas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Indiana and Wake Forest, he was always seen as a no doubter to Mizzou.

#85 Marcus Lucas, WR, 6-5, 195

Rating: 89

When looking at the recruiting haul that Gary Pinkel and Co. brought in for 2010, it is hard not to get excited about the highly ranked class coming to Mizzou. Possibly the most exciting recruit of the whole bunch is Marcus Lucas, a 6-5 wide receiver from Liberty, Missouri. The 2nd ranked player

in the state made his commitment late in the process, but was probably one of the top 3 most important gets for the Mizzou staff this year.

Lucas’ physicality and size are his biggest assets, as he seems to be very athletic while going up to get the ball at it’s highest point. While he doesn’t have top end speed yet (4.5 40-yard dash), he has great hands and can run after the catch quite well. His frame isn’t filled out yet, but you can imagine that he will bulk up quite a bit after getting into a college weightlifting program.

The Tigers will lose Danario Alexander to the NFL this year, so a gigantic void at receiver must be filled by someone. There are a lot of good options at Mizzou who have been with the team for a year or more (L’Damian Washington, Rolandis Woodland, Kerwian Stricker, etc.), but Lucas figures to be in the mix early for playing time due to pure skill.

This 4-star recruit had offers from Oklahoma, Stanford, Nebraska, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kansas, among others.

Rating: 76

A statistical machine from Independence, Missouri, EJ Gaines is one of a number of talented defensive backs that the Tigers recruited for their 2010 class.

As you can see, Gaines probably needs to put on a little weight in muscle to have level the playing field physically, but his athleticism more than makes up for his lack of elite size.

He was a constant playmaker in his time as a returner and defensive back at Fort Osage High School, returning 2 kicks for touchdowns and serving as a lockdown corner in both the passing game and the running game. His size certainly isn’t ideal, but he give a ton of effort and is always around the football. You can never have enough ballhawks on your team.

The 5-10 athlete will get every chance to crack into the rotation at defensive back in his first season at Mizzou, but he will have to battle other talented incoming freshman and incumbents Carl Gettis, Trey Hobson, Robert Steeples and others.

Gaines also considered Akron and Tulsa, but was considered a solid Mizzou commit once he gave his verbal commitment in July of 2009.

#33 EJ Gaines, CB, 5-10, 170